Tuesday

19th Mar 2024

Opinion

Why are the banking lobby afraid of a digital euro?

Europeans deserve a digital euro that transcends the narrow interests of the banking lobby and embodies the promise of a fairer and more competitive monetary and financial landscape.

Latest News

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Opinion

Why are German armed forces spying on domestic citizens?

It is not widely-known that the German armed forces carry out reconnaissance activities. Despite involving around 7,000 personnel, the German government does not consider the Bundeswehr is running an intelligence service, thus there is barely any control or legal oversight.

Opinion

The AI Act — a breach of EU fundamental rights charter?

"I hope MEPs will not approve the AI Act in its current text," warns a senior EU civil servant, writing anonymously. The normalisation of arbitrary 'algorithmic' intrusions on our inner life provides a legacy of disregard for human dignity.

How Amazon lobbyists could be banned from EU Parliament

Amazon is one step closer to being banned from the European Parliament after the employment committee complained of a lack of cooperation in recent years — what is the process, and when can a final decision be expected?

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EU deal on new gig-workers rules unlikely before June elections

Another provisional agreement on improving working conditions for platform workers fall apart on Friday, as four member states decided not to support it — making the chances of a directive before the June European elections unlikely.

Online platforms must be liable for payment scams, say MEPs

MEPs have agreed on new rules to level the playing field between banks and non-banks, and to make payments more user-friendly, cheaper and safer — including measures to make online platforms liable for payment fraud that occurs through their services.

EU agrees less ambitious rules on platform work

A new provisional agreement on the platform workers directive has been reached — but what has changed from the previous deal, and how will it affect the expected reclassification of 5.5 million platform workers as "employees"?

Opinion

Three reasons why AI governance must be global

Rapid technological advances have created an urgent need for international rules and norms — we should seize the opportunity to design international institutions for AI to shape fairer distributions of power and shared prosperity globally, writes Kenyan ambassador to EU.

Analysis

The end of street anonymity — is Europe ready for that?

The EU's AI Act, despite setting global standards, fails to ban facial recognition in public spaces — setting a concerning precedent for many. Is Europe really ready to sacrifice street anonymity for enhanced security?

Analysis

Decoding the EU deal on new rules for gig workers' conditions

Two years after the EU Commission's proposal, the co-legislators have reached a provisional agreement on a text to improve working conditions for digital platform workers — but what does it include and what is still missing?

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Opinion

'Pay or okay?' — Facebook & Instagram vs the EU

Since last week, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta corporation is forcing its European users to either accept their intrusive privacy practices — or pay €156 per year to access Facebook and Instagram without tracking advertising.

Platform workers could face 'robo-firing' under EU's AI rules

The platform workers directive, currently under negotiation, could create "ambiguity" on the processing of personal data by the platform and would also violate the GDPR by including the use of so-called robo-firing, research shows.

No mass scanning in EU online child-abuse bill, MEPs agree

MEPs agreed on new rules for online service and hosting providers to improve the protection of children online, but also to ensure the privacy of internet users — a balance that was missing from the EU Commission's proposal.

Crunch point in talks on EU gig workers' employment status

The 'presumption of employment' crux continues to hold up agreement on a final text to improve conditions for digital platform workers. On Thursday, the EU institutions will meet again on the technical aspects of the agreement.

EU reveals 10 'critical tech' in bid to de-risk from China

The EU Commission published a list of 10 technologies with the potential to: undermine peace and security, violate human rights, or harm the EU's interests. The next step is to assess the risks, and then focus on mitigation measures.

Tech industry now spends €113m a year lobbying Brussels

Tech companies have increased their lobbying power and are now spending some €113m a year to influence EU decision-making, up more than 16 percent since 2021, according to a report from NGOs Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyFacts.

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